21st Century Charter School at Gary is part of the GEO Academies network, delivering an innovative K–12 model focused on college and career readiness. As a tuition-free public charter school, we serve students from kindergarten through high school with a strong emphasis on academic excellence, early college opportunities, and career pathways.
Our Early Childhood program plays a critical role in building the foundation for lifelong learning. We are committed to ensuring that all students enter kindergarten with strong skills in literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional development.
The Pre-School (Pre-K) Teacher is responsible for creating a nurturing, developmentally appropriate learning environment that supports early childhood growth across cognitive, social-emotional, and physical domains. This role emphasizes kindergarten readiness, structured play-based learning, and strong family partnerships
Reports To: Principal
Position Type: 10-month
? Plan and implement developmentally appropriate instruction aligned to Indiana Early Learning Standards
? Deliver a play-based, student-centered learning environment that promotes exploration, curiosity, and foundational skill development
? Build early literacy and numeracy skills through structured and guided activities
? Foster social-emotional development, including self-regulation, collaboration, and communication
? Create a safe, engaging, and inclusive classroom environment
? Monitor and assess student progress using age-appropriate tools and observational data
? Communicate regularly with families regarding student growth, development, and school readiness
? Partner with support staff (Special Education, interventionists, etc.) to meet diverse learner needs
? Establish clear routines, expectations, and positive behavior supports
? Participate in professional development, coaching cycles, and school events
Requirements
Required:
? Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or related field
? Valid Indiana teaching license in Early Childhood or Elementary (or ability to obtain)
? Knowledge of early childhood development and best instructional practices
? Strong classroom management and relationship-building skills
? Ability to integrate technology appropriately in early learning environments
Preferred:
? Experience teaching Pre-K or early elementary students
? Experience working in an urban or high-needs school setting
? Familiarity with play-based or blended learning models
? CDA (Child Development Associate) or Early Childhood endorsement
Welcome to GEO Academies, where innovation meets educational excellence. We're dedicated to transforming students' educational journeys by implementing leading-edge methods that empower students to complete not only their high school diploma at rates higher than state-average, but to also earn an associate's or bachelor's degree while still in high school.
GEO has built a student-personalized, content-rich K-12 educational framework that provides a skill-based approach to learning. Operating a network of eight charter schools in Indiana and Louisiana, we set the stage for a seamless, debt-free and successful transition into college and beyond for 3,800 predominantly African-American and low-income students.
By providing an accelerated pathway to college, beginning in kindergarten, GEO schools hope to break the poverty cycle prevalent in the families and communities of the students we serve.
